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Artwork by 2016 Form 1 student, Diana. She says it is a drawing of God’s creation that she experienced during a field trip to Lake Naivasha.[/caption]We will soon welcome a new Form 1 (9th grade) class to the Mawewa Boarding School in Naivasha. The new students will enjoy a very good program forged in 2016 through the hard work of the teaching staff and last year’s Form 1 students. Throughout 2016, the staff and students worked together to enhance the curriculum and extracurricular activities.Form 1 students tackle many new areas of knowledge, such as biology, geography, and chemistry. An intensive literacy support and reading recovery program is an indispensable part of their coursework. Each child receives a Kindle to download their literature assignments. They take part in student-centered curricular activities, such as debate.At Mawewa High School, the staff and the students work diligently to develop and maintain an environment of respect, care, and trust. Staff and students meet regularly in Kamukunji, Swahili for the gathering, to discuss updates, issues, and expectations. The students learn to respect each other for their unique backgrounds and abilities. Guided by teacher-mentors, students gather in Care Groups where they share their challenges, read scripture, do devotions, and pray together. Since the students live in close quarters, conflict is inevitable, so the students are learning the skill of peer mediation to resolve disputes.To broaden their experience, the children have the culturally rich landscape of Naivasha and the surrounding area to explore - rock-climbing, day hikes on nearby mountain paths, and picnics at a local lake. Last year, students traveled to Hell’s Gate National Park, where they marveled at the landscape rich in wildlife, the beautiful natural gorge, and the observation tower. There are hopes of a future visit to Olkaria Geothermal Power Station, the first of its kind in Africa.The staff and faculty at eduKenya and Mawewa Schools celebrate as our program enters its eleventh year of operation. Starting as The Kenya Children Project in 2006, we expanded a church’s childcare program into a fully functional primary school. Mawewa School has added a new grade level each year, and in 2017, eduKenya will support 13 grades in three schools – preschool, primary, and high school. We look forward in hope and gratitude to all that God has in store for our students and us in the new year!